Selected Events (10/07) + Today’s Featured Pub (Tribeca)

Posted on 10/07/2015 by GregD

Today’s SUPER 7 > WEDNESDAY / OCT. 07, 2015

“We search the internet everyday looking for the very best of What’s Happening, primarily on Manhattan’s WestSide, so that you don’t have to.” We make it as easy as 1-2-3.
(click on links for complete event info.)

Music, Dance, Performing Arts

Fall for Dance (through Oct. 11)
NY City Center, 131 West 55th St./ 8PM, $20
“This popular, packed-to-the-gills festival rolls out three more programs this week, with four companies on each. Program 3 (Tuesday and Wednesday) features Companhia Urbana de Danca, Houston Ballet, the Paul Taylor Dance Company and the modern dance and ballet superstars Fang-Yi Sheu and Herman Cornejo.” (Burke-NYT)

Karrin Allyson (through Oct. 10)
Birdland, 315 W44th St. / 8:30PM +11PM, $
“Allyson is a gently swinging singer whose peripatetic musical wanderings have found her flitting from France to Brazil and disparate jazz points between. Her album “Many a New Day: Karrin Allyson Sings Rodgers & Hammerstein” reimagines well-worn favorites associated with “South Pacific,” “The Sound of Music,” and “Oklahoma.” (NewYorker)

Cécile McLorin Salvant
Ginny’s Supper Club, 310 Lenox Avenue, Harlem / 7:30; 9:30PM, $25 “Ms. Salvant, 26, is the most widely and fervently acclaimed jazz singer of her generation, and on her new album, “For One to Love,” she deepens her game, delving into original songs. This one-nighter uptown won’t include the pianist Adam Diehl, her astute musical director and partner, but it will feature the august bassist Rufus Reid, along with Adam Birnbaum on piano and Joe Farnsworth on drums.” (Chinen-NYT)

Tom Harrell (through Oct. 18, except Oct. 12)
Village Vanguard, 178 Seventh Ave. S., at 11th St./
“With his First Impressions ensemble, the estimable trumpeter and composer Tom Harrell augments a standard jazz quintet with a guitar, cello, and violin—in effect, a compact string section. Harrell is a veteran player who seems to be getting more adventurous as he ages. (NewYorker)

Smart Stuff / Other
(Lectures, Discussions, Book Talks, Literary Readings, Classes, Food & Drink, Other)

“Comics and the Jews” (to celebrate NYCC Super Week)
Center for Jewish History, 15W16th St (btw5/6 ave) / 6:30pm; $10,
“Superman, Spider-Man, the X-Men and many more of your favorite superheroes were created by Jewish artists and writers in New York City’s pre- and post-war years. Learn about how Jewish creators have influenced the mammoth comic book industry and bid on an original comic book created by Rich Buckler, Jerry Ordway, Joe Staton, Roy Thomas and Ellen Weiss.” (TONY)

Slice Out Hunger
Shrine Church of St. Anthony of Padua, 155 Sullivan St, at Houston St./ 6PM, $1 a slice
“Eating pizza and banding together for a good cause are two things that New Yorkers do exceptionally well. At Wednesday’s seventh annual Slice Out Hunger charity feast, you’ll have the chance to do both with over 50 of Gotham’s top pizza counters—including Di Fara, Lombardi’s, Emily and Roberta’s—hawking their cheesy wares for just a dollar each. The nearly 1,000 pies are all donated, so proceeds go directly towards funding Food Bank for New York City’s hunger-combatting initiatives.” (TONY)

New York Super Week (through Oct. 11)
“This festival is a sort of warm-up act and partner for New York Comic Con, which begins on Thursday, and will turn the city into a playground for fans of super heroes, vampires, zombies — typical Comic Con fare. There are dozens of events, from comedy shows and concerts to food tastings and lectures, planned covering a broad range of locations and topics. The lineup is at newyorksuperweek.com.” (NYT-SpareTimes)

Bonus – Jazz Picks:
Many consider NYCity the Jazz capital of the world. Here are my favorite Jazz clubs, all on Manhattan’s WestSide. Check out who is playing tonight:
Greenwich Village:
Village Vanguard – 178 7th Ave. South, villagevanguard.com, 212-255-4037
Blue Note – 131 W3rd St. nr 6th ave. bluenotejazz.com, 212-475-8592
55 Bar – 55 Christopher St. nr 7th ave.S. 55bar.com, 212-929-9883
Outside Greenwich Village:
Dizzy’s Club – Broadway @ 60th St. jazz.org/dizzys, 212-258-9595
Birdland – 315 W44th St.(btw 8/9ave), birdlandjazz.com, 212-581-3080
Smoke Jazz Club – 2751 Broadway nr.106th St. smokejazz.com, 212-864-6662
Special Mention:
Caffe Vivaldi – 32 Jones St. nr Bleecker St. caffevivaldi.com, 212-691-7538
a classic, old jazz club in the Village, Caffe V often surprises with a wonderfully eclectic lineup. It’s my favorite spot for an evening of listening enjoyment and discovery.

==================================================================================
♦ Before making final plans, we suggest you call the venue to confirm ticket availability, dates and times, as schedules are subject to change.
♦ NYCity, with a population of  8.5 million, had a record 56 million visitors last year and is TripAdvisor’s Traveler’s Choice Top U.S. Destination for 2015.  Quality shows draw crowds. Try to reserve seats in advance, even if just on day of performance.
==================================================================================

A PremierPub / Tribeca

B-Flat / 277 Church St. (btw Franklin/White St))

b_flat4There are some places that are tough to find, then add a layer of mystery when you do find them. B-Flat has a nondescript, almost unmarked door at street level – today’s speakeasy vibe. Open this door and you face a dimly lit stairway down to their basement location. It almost takes a leap of faith to follow the stairs down to their interior door.

But open that door and a pleasant surprise awaits you.

It’s a basement jazz spot all right, but not like any traditional jazz joint you may have been to before. This place looks as fresh as today, probably because it’s only been open for 6 years. Even though it hasn’t had a chance to age gracefully, the cherry wood accents and low lighting make this small space very inviting.

There is always jazz, often progressive jazz, playing over their very discrete, stylish bose speakers, setting just the right tone as you find a seat at the bar, or one of the small tables. There is wine and beer available, but this place has some expert mixologists making some very creative cocktails, which I’m told change seasonally, a nice touch.

Come at happy hour and tasty cocktails like the el Diablo or the lychee martini are $8 – not bad. I am a sucker for any drink made with lychee and how can you not try a tequila drink named el Diablo. There is also nice selection of small bites available at happy hour and a food menu that is as innovative as the cocktail menu, so this does not have to be a happy hour only stop.

It wasn’t surprising to find a tasty prosciutto and arugula salad with yuzu dressing, but I did not expect to find such a good version of fried chicken breast on the apps menu. Here it’s called “Tatsuta.” Best bet is to sample happy hour, then dinner on a Monday or Wednesday night, when you can finish with no cover live jazz that starts around 8.

This place is tough to find (look for a small slate sandwich board on the sidewalk out front advertising happy hour) and on some nights when there is no live music iot may be a little too quiet for some. But I think it’s worth searching out if you want a place with good music, food, and especially drinks, away from the maddening crowd.

Website: http://http://www.bflat.info/index.html
Phone #: 212-219-2970
Hours: Mo-Wed 5pm-2am; Th-Sat 5pm-3am; no Sun
Happy Hour: 5-7pm every day; $8 cocktails + special prices on apps
Music: Mon/Wed 8pm
Subway: #1 to Franklin; walk E 1 blk to Church; N 1 blk to bFlat

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“Pub” is used in it’s broadest sense – bars, bar/restaurants, jazz clubs, wine bars, tapas bars, craft beer bars, dive bars, cocktail lounges, and of course, pubs – just about anyplace you can get a drink without a cover charge (except for certain jazz clubs).
If you have a fave premier pub or good eating place on Manhattan’s WestSide let us all know about it – leave a comment.

 

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Selected Events (10/06) + Museum Special Exhibitions: Manhattan’s 5th Avenue

Posted on 10/06/2015 by GregD

Today’s SUPER 6 > TUESDAY / OCT. 06, 2015

“We search the internet everyday looking for the very best of What’s Happening, primarily on Manhattan’s WestSide, so that you don’t have to.” We make it as easy as 1-2-3.
(click on links for complete event info.)

Music, Dance, Performing Arts
Karrin Allyson (through Oct. 10)
Birdland, 315 W44th St. / 8:30PM +11PM, $
“Allyson is a gently swinging singer whose peripatetic musical wanderings have found her flitting from France to Brazil and disparate jazz points between. Her album “Many a New Day: Karrin Allyson Sings Rodgers & Hammerstein” reimagines well-worn favorites associated with “South Pacific,” “The Sound of Music,” and “Oklahoma.” (NewYorker)

Cinderella – Company XIV (through Nov. 15)
Minetta Lane Theater, 18 Minetta Lane / 8PM, $30-$55
“This flirtatious company, which combines ballet and contemporary dance with elements of baroque and burlesque, specializes in sexy, spicy, opulent interpretations of fairy-tale classics. This fall, the director and choreographer Austin McCormick introduces his take on “Cinderella,” which comes with a dash of opera and vaudeville. Because of titillating costumes and scenarios, and free-flowing libations, performances are adult only.”(Schaefer-NYT)

Tom Harrell (through Oct. 18, except Oct. 12)
Village Vanguard, 178 Seventh Ave. S., at 11th St./
“With his First Impressions ensemble, the estimable trumpeter and composer Tom Harrell augments a standard jazz quintet with a guitar, cello, and violin—in effect, a compact string section. Harrell is a veteran player who seems to be getting more adventurous as he ages. (NewYorker)

‘Otello’
Metropolitan Opera House, Lincoln Center / 7:30PM, $
There were tentative stretches during the new Bartlett Sher staging of Verdi’s “Otello,” which opened the Metropolitan Opera’s season on Sept. 21. Still, this is a bold, atmospheric and intriguing production that should gain its footing… The tenor Aleksandrs Antonenko brings a virile voice and impressive stamina to the punishing title role, but sometimes seems dramatically uncertain. The luxurious baritone Zeljko Lucic makes a suave, sly Iago. The production could not have a better Desdemona than the luminous young soprano Sonya Yoncheva. The brilliant conductor Yannick Nézet-Séguin leads a close-to-great performance.” (NYT-Tommasini)

Smart Stuff / Other
(Lectures, Discussions, Book Talks, Literary Readings, Classes, Food & Drink, Other)

The Courage to Act: A Memoir of a Crisis and Its Aftermath
Barnes & Noble, Union Square / 7PM, FREE.
Ben S. Bernanke, the former chairman of the Federal Reserve, speaks with Timothy F. Geithner, former Secretary of the Treasury.

“The bursting of a housing bubble in 2007 exposed the hidden vulnerabilities of the global financial system, bringing it to the brink of meltdown. Around the clock, Bernanke and his team at the Fed fought the crisis with every tool at their disposal to keep the United States and world economies afloat.”

New York Super Week (through Oct. 11)
“This festival is a sort of warm-up act and partner for New York Comic Con, which begins on Thursday, and will turn the city into a playground for fans of super heroes, vampires, zombies — typical Comic Con fare. There are dozens of events, from comedy shows and concerts to food tastings and lectures, planned covering a broad range of locations and topics. The lineup is at newyorksuperweek.com.” (NYT-SpareTimes)

Bonus – Music Venues:
So much fine live music every night in this town. These are a few of my favorite music venues on Manhattan’s WestSide. Check out who’s playing tonight:
City Winery – 155 Varick St. / citywinery.com, 212-608-0555
Joe’s Pub @ Public Theater – 425 Lafayette St. / joespub.com, 212-967-7555
Metropolitan Room – 34 W22nd St. / metropolitan room.com, 212-206-0440
Le Poisson Rouge – 158 Bleecker St. / lepoissonrouge.com, 212-505-3474
Beacon Theatre – 2124 Broadway @ 74th St. / beacontheatre.com, 212-465-6500
B.B. King’s Blues Bar – 237 W42nd St. / bbkingblues.com, 212-997-2144
Special Mention:
Caffe Vivaldi – 32 Jones St. nr Bleecker St. / caffevivaldi.com, 212-691-7538
a classic, old jazz club in the Village, Caffe V often surprises with a wonderfully eclectic lineup. It’s my favorite spot for an evening of listening enjoyment and discovery.

==================================================================================
♦ Before making final plans, we suggest you call the venue to confirm ticket availability, dates and times, as schedules are subject to change.
♦ NYCity, with a population of  8.5 million, had a record 56 million visitors last year and is TripAdvisor’s Traveler’s Choice Top U.S. Destination for 2015.  Quality shows draw crowds. Try to reserve seats in advance, even if just on day of performance.
==================================================================================

WHAT’S ON VIEW
My Fave Special Exhibitions – MUSEUMS / Manhattan’s Fifth Avenue
(See the New York Times Arts Section for listings of all museum exhibitions,
and also see the expanded reviews of these exhibitions)

Metropolitan Museum of Art:
‘Reimagining Modernism: 1900-1950’ (continuing)
One of the greatest encyclopedic museums in the world fulfills its mission a little more with an ambitious reinstallation of works of early European modernism with their American counterparts for the first time in nearly 30 years. Objects of design and paintings by a few self-taught artists further the integration. It is quite a sight, with interesting rotations and fine-tunings to come. 212-535-7710, metmuseum.org.” (Smith)

Guggenheim Museum:
Kandinsky Gallery (through spring 2016)
“A pioneer of abstract art and eminent aesthetic theorist, Vasily Kandinsky (b. 1866, Moscow; d. 1944, Neuilly-sur-Seine, France) broke new ground in painting during the first decades of the twentieth century. His seminal treatise Über das Geistige in der Kunst (On the Spiritual in Art), published in Munich in December 1911, lays out his program for developing an art independent from observations of the external world. In this and other texts, as well as his work, Kandinsky advanced abstraction’s potential to be free from nature, a quality of music that he admired. The development of a new subject matter based solely on the artist’s “inner necessity” would occupy him for the rest of his life.”

The Guggenheim collection now contains more than 150 works by this single artist, making it the largest collection of Kandinsky works in the United States.

Cooper Hewitt Smithsonian Design Museum (continuing):
rendering-3The stately doors of the 1902 Andrew Carnegie mansion, home to the Cooper Hewitt, are open again after an overhaul and expansion of the premises. Historic house and modern museum have always made an awkward fit, a standoff between preservation and innovation, and the problem remains, but the renovation has brought a wide-open new gallery space, a cafe and a raft of be-your-own-designer digital enhancements. Best of all, more of the museum’s vast permanent collection is now on view, including an Op Art weaving, miniature spiral staircases, ballistic face masks and a dainty enameled 18th-century version of a Swiss knife. Like design itself, this institution is built on tumult and friction, and you feel it. 2 East 91st Street, at Fifth Avenue, 212-849-8400, cooperhewitt.org. (Cotter)

==================================================

Museum Mile is a section of Fifth Avenue which contains one of the densest displays of culture in the world. Eight museums can be found along this section of Fifth Avenue:

• 105th Street – El Museo del Barrio (closed Sun-Mon)*
• 103rd Street – Museum of the City of New York (open 7 days /week)
•  92nd Street – The Jewish Museum (closed Wed) (Sat FREE) (Thu 5-8 PWYW)
•  91st Street  –  Cooper-Hewitt, National Design Museum (open 7 days /week)
•  89th Street –  National Academy Museum (closed Mon-Tue)
•  88th Street –  Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum (closed Thu) (Sat 6-8 PWYW)
•  86th Street –  Neue Galerie New York (closed Tue-Wed) (Fri 6-8 FREE)
Last, but certainly not least, America’s premier museum
•  82nd Street – The Metropolitan Museum of Art (open 7 days /week)*
*always Pay What You Wish (PWYW)

Although technically not part of the Museum Mile, the Frick Collection (closed Mon) (SUN 11am-1pm PWYW) on the corner of 70th St. and Fifth Avenue and the The Morgan Library & Museum (closed Mon) (Fri 7-9 FREE) on Madison Ave and 37th St are also located near Fifth Ave.
Now plan your own museum crawl (info on hours & admission updated June 2, 2015). ========================================================

For other selected Museum and Gallery Special Exhibitions see Recent Posts in right Sidebar dated 10/04 and 10/02.
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Selected Events (10/05) + Today’s Featured Pub (Greenwich Village)

Posted on 10/05/2015 by GregD

Today’s SUPER 6 > MONDAY / OCT. 05, 2015

“We search the internet everyday looking for the very best of What’s Happening, primarily on Manhattan’s WestSide, so that you don’t have to.” We make it as easy as 1-2-3.
(click on links for complete event info.)

Music, Dance, Performing Arts
‘Anna Bolena’
Metropolitan Opera House, Lincoln Center / 7:30PM, $
“The formidable American soprano Sondra Radvanovsky triumphs in the arduous title role of Donizetti’s “Anna Bolena,” returning to the Metropolitan Opera in David McVicar’s 2011 production. With flawless coloratura technique, earthy sound and uncanny control of colorings and vibrato, she gives an intense yet vulnerable portrayal of Anna (Anne Boleyn), King Henry’s ambitious, doomed queen. The whole cast is strong, especially the rising-star mezzo-soprano Jaime Barton as Giovanna (Jane Seymour), the bass Ildar Abdrazakov as the king, and the tenor Stephen Costello as Lord Percy. Marco Armiliato conducts.  212-362-6000, metopera.org.”  (Tommasini-NYT)

Star Trek: The Next Generation-Based Musical Improvisational Comedy
DiMenna Center for Classical Music, 450 W37th St./ 9PM, $7
“If you need a little variety in your Star Trek, then call out your favorite suggestions for a live, totally improvised musical dance performance about the starship Enterprise. Improv mavens Sloane Miller, Julia Lunetta, Susan O’Doherty and their Redshirts crew will sing, dance and phase their way through Klingon and Captain Picard minutia, leaving hard-core fans exhausted from laughing and newbies totally confused.” (TONY)

Talib Kweli
Blue Note, 131 W3rd St. / 8PM +10:30PM, $20-$35
“Since emerging in1998 to link up with Mos Def and form Black Star, socially conscious MC Talib Kweli has made a name for himself as a solo artist of true integrity. Even Jay Z referenced his verbal dexterity: “If skills sold/Truth be told/I’d probably be/Lyrically/Talib Kweli.” Catch the underground hero here, performing with a live band in support of his latest album, Fuck the Money, which he released for free, fittingly.” (TONY)

Carole Bufford
Birdland, 315W44th St./ 7PM, $25
“Despite decades of repeated admonitions to the contrary, it turns out that the great Sophie Tucker was not, in fact, the last of the Red Hot Mamas. That title now can be claimed by the young Ms. Carole Bufford, who, more than any other singer of the last 90 years, digs down into the meat and the substance of the Prohibition Era.”
-Will Friedwald, THE WALL STREET JOURNAL

“Nurturing young talent, of course, is essential to the genre’s survival. Carole Bufford, a folk-blues singer who delivered strong pop-slanted renditions of Johnny Cash and Bessie Smith songs, suggest[s] that the talent is there waiting to be harvested.”- Stephen Holden, New York Times

Jim Caruso’s Cast Party (Cabaret)
Birdland, 315 West 44th St. (btw 8/9 ave) / 9:30PM, $25
the witty host attracts broadway stars on their night off, along with up and comers.
OR
The Vanguard Jazz Orchestra
Village Vanguard, 178 7th Ave. South (btw W11th/Perry St.) / 8:30Pm +10:30PM, $30
world class big band with 16 members on that small stage, a monday night institution.

Smart Stuff / Other
(Lectures, Discussions, Book Talks, Literary Readings, Classes, Food & Drink, Other)
New York Super Week (through Oct. 11)
“This festival is a sort of warm-up act and partner for New York Comic Con, which begins on Thursday, and will turn the city into a playground for fans of super heroes, vampires, zombies — typical Comic Con fare. There are dozens of events, from comedy shows and concerts to food tastings and lectures, planned covering a broad range of locations and topics. The lineup is at newyorksuperweek.com.” (NYT-SpareTimes)

Jazz Venues:
Many consider NYCity the Jazz capital of the world. Here are my favorite Jazz clubs, all on Manhattan’s WestSide. Check out who’s playing tonight:
Greenwich Village:
Village Vanguard – 178 7th ave. South, — villagevanguard.com / 212-255-4037
Blue Note – 131 W3rd St. nr 6th ave. — bluenotejazz.com / 212-475-8592
55 Bar – 55 Christopher St. nr 7th ave. South — 55bar.com / 212-929-9883
Outside Greenwich Village:
Dizzy’s Club – Broadway @ 60th St. — jazz.org/dizzys / 212-258-9595
Birdland – 315 W44th St.(btw 8/9 ave) — birdlandjazz.com / 212-581-3080
Smoke Jazz Club – 2751 Broadway, nr.106th St. — smokejazz.com / 212-864-6662

==================================================================================
♦ Before making final plans, we suggest you call the venue to confirm ticket availability, dates and times, as schedules are subject to change.
♦ NYCity, with a population of  8.5 million, had a record 56 million visitors last year and is TripAdvisor’s Traveler’s Choice Top U.S. Destination for 2015.  Quality shows draw crowds. Try to reserve seats in advance, even if just on day of performance.
==================================================================================

A PremierPub and 3 Good Eating Places – Greenwich Village

Caffe Vivaldi / 32 Jones Street (btw. Bleecker St./W4th St.)

Café Vivaldi is a classic, intimate club located in Greenwich Village on Jones Street, the street featured on the cover of Bob Dylan’s second album, “Freewheelin’. ”

maxresdefaultEach night Ishrat, the long time proprietor and impresario, carefully curates and schedules an eclectic series of musicians. You can often see him at his table in the corner, hard at work reviewing music videos and listening to cd demos on his laptop, scouting out future bookings. Musicians come from all over to play and sing in a club in Greenwich Village. Some are local New Yorkers, others are just passing through, in town for a few days.

There is a small bar, seating maybe 10. It’s close to the stage and I find it’s a perfect spot to sip a glass of red wine while listening to the music. The room itself has the performance area at one end and a cozy fireplace at the other. The performance area here is small, dominated by a large black Yamaha Grand piano. Tables are bunched together and most people at the tables are eating lite meals or sampling the wonderful desserts.

There is also a good selection of fairly priced wines,  but you are here because of the music. You can never be quite sure what you’re going to find, and that’s half the charm of this place. It’s not a home run every night, but many nights it’s pretty special.

I remember the night I saw the most talented bossa nova group, just in from San Paulo. As I listened, I wondered if there was any better music playing anywhere else in New York City that night. And at Caffé Vivaldi there is never a cover charge. Their recently redesigned web site does give you a better idea of the type of music playing each night.

At one time Greenwich Village was filled with clubs just like this, but times change. Real estate interests have impacted the village, and not for the better. Even Caffé Vivaldi had a rough time recently, when a new landlord raised the rent exorbitantly. Fortunately, Ishrat has built a loyal following over the years, and a fund raiser and slightly more reasonable rent has kept Café Vivaldi in business.

When Woody Allen and Al Pacino wanted to make movies featuring the timeless quality of Greenwich Village they came to Vivaldi. It’s important that we keep this special place alive, for if we lose Cafe Vivaldi, NYCity will have lost a piece of it’s soul.

Website: http://caffevivaldi.com/
Phone #: (212) 691-7538
Hours: Music generally 7:30PM – 11PM, but varies
Lunch/Dinner 11AM-on
Subway: #1 to Christopher St.
Walk 1 blk S. on 7th ave S. to Bleecker St., 1 blk left on Bleecker to Jones St., 50 yards left on Jones St. to Caffe V.

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“Pub” is used in it’s broadest sense – bars, bar/restaurants, jazz clubs, wine bars, tapas bars, craft beer bars, dive bars, cocktail lounges, and of course, pubs – just about anyplace you can get a drink without a cover charge
If you have a fave premier pub or good eating place on Manhattan’s WestSide let us all know about it – leave a comment.
==================================================================================

3 Good Eating places

It’s not difficult to find a place to eat in Manhattan.
Finding a good, inexpensive place to eat is a bit harder.
Here are a few of my faves in this neighborhood:

Fish – 280 Bleecker St. (just a bit S. of 7th ave South)
This was an easy pick – the best raw bar special in town. $9 gets you 6 of the freshest oysters or clams + a glass of wine or beer. Don’t know how they can do it, but I tell everyone I know about this place. And it’s located right in the heart of some of the best no cover music in town.

Bleecker Street Pizza – 69 7th ave S. (corner of Bleecker St.)
The place is tiny and not much to look at, but this is one good slice. They like to brag that they have been voted “Best pizza in NY” 3 years in a row by the Food Network. I believe them. I would have voted for them.

Num Pang – 21 E 12th St. (btw. University Place/5th ave.)
This is a Cambodian banh mi sandwich shop that kept me well fed while I was in class nearby recently. It’s cramped, even for NYCity, but usually there is room up the spiral staircase to sit down and eat. In good weather carry your sandwich a few blocks to Union Square park. You may have to wait a few minutes, because everything is freshly made, but it’s worth it. Can you believe – an unheard of 26 food rating by Zagat.

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“3 Good Eating places” focuses on a quick bite, what I call “Fine Fast Food – NYCity Style”
This covers a wide range of food – the traditional pizza, burgers, & hot dogs; but also food trucks & carts, soup & sandwiches, picnic fixins’, raw bars & lobster rolls, bbq, vegetarian, falafel, ramen, chopped salad & salad bars. No reservations needed. ===========================================================================

◊ For all my picks of 54 Good Eating places, and essays on my favorite 18 PremierPubs in 9 Neighborhoods on Manhattan’s WestSide, order a copy of my e-book:
“Eating and Drinking on NYCity’s WestSide” ($4.99, available Winter 2015).
◊ Order before Dec. 31, 2015 and receive a bonus – 27 of my favorite casual dining places with free Wi-Fi.

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Selected Events (10/04) + Museum Special Exhibitions: Manhattan’s WestSide

Posted on 10/04/2015 by GregD

Today’s SUPER 6 > SUNDAY / OCT. 04, 2015

“We search the internet everyday looking for the very best of What’s Happening, primarily on Manhattan’s WestSide, so that you don’t have to.” We make it as easy as 1-2-3.
(click on links for complete event info.)

Music, Dance, Performing Arts
> Batsheva Ensemble
Joyce Theater, 175 Eighth Ave, at 19th St./ 2PM +7:30PM, $10 +
Batsheva2“The work of the Israeli choreographer Ohad Naharin, one of today’s great dance makers, is eerie and unsettling and often achingly beautiful. But he doesn’t get enough credit for being funny, too. In “Decadance,” performed by the junior wing of his Batsheva Dance Company (don’t lower expectations: they’re spectacular), Mr. Naharin stitches a quilt of excerpts from two decades of work. It captures his light and dark sides, as well as his humor.” (Schaefer, NYT)

> Stanley Cowell Quartet
Smoke Jazz Club, 2751 Broadway, at 106th St./ 7, 9, 10:30PM, $38
“A pianist of deep authority and resolute purpose — less widely heard now than he was in the 1970s but still a force — Mr. Cowell recently made a much-talked-about club appearance in New York, on the heels of a new solo album, “Juneteenth.” He appears with his quartet, featuring the alto saxophonist Bruce Williams, the bassist Jay Anderson and the drummer Victor Lewis.” (Chinen-NYT)

Ravi Coltrane Quartet (through Sunday)
Village Vanguard, 178 Seventh Ave./ 8:30 +10:30PM, $30
“With a sense of searching suggestive of his father, Ravi Coltrane has maintained the legacy of jazz guided by serious and even avowedly spiritual ambitions. His saxophone-playing can be visceral and fiery at times, with equal capacity to fall back and luxuriate in gentle tones. His band, too, shares an affinity for music that ranges from the cerebral to the absorbing and back again.” (WSJ)

Elsewhere, but this sure looks like fun:
> The 11th annual NY Gypsy Festival
Pace University Schimmel Center / 7:30PM, $19
tonight:Brass Showdown at Pace University
Frank London’s Klezmer Brass Allstars feat. Eleanor Reissa
Slavic Soul Party
Hungry March Band
Underground Horns
Expect four wildly diverse brass bands to blow as hard, fast and original as they can. Watch these horns go head to head and give it their all to claim a spot as best brass band. Plus guest dancers.

Smart Stuff / Other
(Lectures, Discussions, Book Talks, Literary Readings, Classes, Food & Drink, Other)
Lincoln Center Autumn Crafts Festival (also Oct. 10-11.)
This festival in its 26th year, will feature 250 displays in Hearst Plaza, Columbus Avenue and 64th Street, on Saturday from 11 a.m. to 8:30 p.m. and Sunday from 10 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. craftsatlincoln.org

The New Yorker Festival (LAST DAY)
At various times and locations
“Few festivals try to capture the zeitgeist as comprehensively as this three-day series of talks, screenings and events; even fewer succeed this much. While a few of the festival’s programs have sold out, at time of press, there was still space at some noteworthy events,including conversations with Jeffrey Tambor, star of Amazon’s “Transparent” and Jesse Eisenberg (“The Social Network,” “American Ultra”).” (NYT)

Bonus – Music Picks:
So much fine live music every night in this town. These are a few of my favorite music venues on Manhattan’s WestSide. Check out who’s playing tonight:
City Winery – 155 Varick St., citywinery.com, 212-608-0555
Joe’s Pub @ Public Theater – 425 Lafayette St. joespub.com, 212-967-7555
Metropolitan Room – 34W22ndSt., metropolitan room.com, 212-206-0440
Le Poisson Rouge – 158 Bleecker St. lepoissonrouge.com, 212-505-3474
Beacon Theatre – 2124 Broadway @ 74th St., beacontheatre.com, 212-465-6500
B.B. King’s Blues Bar – 237W42nd dSt. bbkingblues.com, 212-997-2144
Special Mention:
Caffe Vivaldi – 32 Jones St. nr Bleecker St. caffevivaldi.com, 212-691-7538
a classic, old jazz club in the Village, Caffe V often surprises with a wonderfully eclectic lineup. It’s my favorite spot for an evening of listening enjoyment and discovery.

==================================================================================
♦ Before making final plans, we suggest you call the venue to confirm ticket availability, dates and times, as schedules are subject to change.
♦ NYCity, with a population of  8.5 million, had a record 56 million visitors last year and is TripAdvisor’s Traveler’s Choice Top U.S. Destination for 2015.  Quality shows draw crowds. Try to reserve seats in advance, even if just on day of performance.
==================================================================================

WHAT’S ON VIEW
My Fave Special Exhibitions – MUSEUMS / Manhattan’s WestSide
(See the New York Times Arts Section for listings of all museums,
and also to see their expanded reviews of these exhibitions)

Museum of Modern Art:
‘Picasso Sculpture’ (through Feb. 7)
“Nearly a work of art in its own right, this magnificent show redefines Picasso’s achievement with the first full view here in 50 years of his astoundingly varied forays into sculpture. His materials, not his female loves, become the muses, and are different each time out. The basic plotline: After introducing sculptural abstraction and space, he spent about 50 years counting the ways that the figure was far from finished. 212-708-9400, moma.org.” (Smith-NYT)

‘Transmissions: Art in Eastern Europe and Latin America, 1960-1980’ (through Jan. 3) “Visiting this big, spirited group show is like walking into a party of intriguing strangers. For every person you recognize, there are 10 you don’t know. One topic everyone’s talking about, at different intensities, is the anti-institutional politics that swept Europe and the Americas in the 1960s, and almost everyone speaks the language of Conceptualism. A product of an in-house research initiative called Contemporary and Modern Art Perspectives, or C-MAP, intended to expand MoMA’s narrow Paris-New York view of modernism, the show is very much the beginning rather than the end of a learning curve. But with curators exploring material new to them — just steps ahead of their audience — the show has a refreshing buzz of surprise as it takes the museum in a realistic new directions. 212-708-9400, moma.org.” (Cotter-NYT)

New-York Historical Society:
‘Freedom Journey 1965: Photographs of the Selma to Montgomery March by Stephen Somerstein’ (through Oct. 25)
“See photo highlight. Almost 50 years ago, the picture editor of a campus newspaper at City College of New York assigned himself a breaking story: covering what promised to be a massive march in Alabama, led by the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., to demand free and clear voting rights for African-Americans. On short notice the editor, Stephen Somerstein, grabbed his cameras, climbed on a bus and headed south. The 55 pictures of black leaders and everyday people in this show, installed in a hallway and small gallery, are some that he shot that day. The image of Dr. King’s head seen in monumental silhouette that has become a virtual logo of the film “Selma” is based on a Somerstein original. 170 Central Park West, at 77th Street, 212-873-3400, nyhistory.org.” (Cotter-NYT)

=======================================================

For other selected Museum and Gallery Special Exhibitions see Recent Posts in right Sidebar dated 10/02 and 09/30.

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Selected Events (10/03) + Today’s Featured Pub (Upper WestSide)

Posted on 10/03/2015 by GregD

Today’s SUPER 7 > SATURDAY / OCT. 03, 2015

“We search the internet everyday looking for the very best of What’s Happening, primarily on Manhattan’s WestSide, so that you don’t have to.” We make it as easy as 1-2-3.
(click on links for complete event info.)

Have time for only one event today? Do this:
> Art Garfunkel – At Last
Carnegie Hall, Isaac Stern Auditorium / 8PM, $
images“Hello Art, my old friend. The 73 year old was plagued by vocal ailments over the five years, but has returned in full force for a yearlong worldwide tour that passed through Korea, Israel and California. Don’t be surprised if he reads some poetry — but really, the main goal of attending is simply to let “Bridge Over Troubled Water” deliver you home.” (Chow-NYT)

Music, Dance, Performing Arts
> Stanley Cowell Quartet (also Sunday)
Smoke Jazz Club, 2751 Broadway, at 106th St./ 7, 9, 10:30PM, $
“A pianist of deep authority and resolute purpose — less widely heard now than he was in the 1970s but still a force — Mr. Cowell recently made a much-talked-about club appearance in New York, on the heels of a new solo album, “Juneteenth.” He appears with his quartet, featuring the alto saxophonist Bruce Williams, the bassist Jay Anderson and the drummer Victor Lewis.” (Chinen-NYT)

Tedeschi Trucks Band
Beacon Theater, 2124 Broadway, at 74th St./ 8PM, $
“This storied blues-rock band, led by the married musicians Susan Tedeschi and Derek Trucks, makes its annual pilgrimage to the Beacon Theater.” (Chow-NYT)

Ravi Coltrane Quartet (through Sunday)
Village Vanguard, 178 Seventh Ave./ 8:30 +10:30PM, $30
“With a sense of searching suggestive of his father, Ravi Coltrane has maintained the legacy of jazz guided by serious and even avowedly spiritual ambitions. His saxophone-playing can be visceral and fiery at times, with equal capacity to fall back and luxuriate in gentle tones. His band, too, shares an affinity for music that ranges from the cerebral to the absorbing and back again.” (WSJ)

Smart Stuff / Other
(Lectures, Discussions, Book Talks, Literary Readings, Classes, Food & Drink, Other)
> How Washington Won
New-York Historical Society, 170 Central Park West/ 9:30AM, $32 (members)
Presented in collaboration with the Foreign Policy Research Institute
“After a series of devastating losses and retreats, General George Washington ultimately led the colonial armies to triumph over one of the most formidable imperial powers in history. Celebrated military historian Jeremy Black surveys Washington’s distinguished leadership qualities and examines the forces—both internal and external—that aided Washington in his arduous path to victory.”

The New Yorker Festival (through Sunday)
At various times and locations
“Few festivals try to capture the zeitgeist as comprehensively as this three-day series of talks, screenings and events; even fewer succeed this much. While a few of the festival’s programs have sold out, at time of press, there was still space at some noteworthy events,including conversations with Jeffrey Tambor, star of Amazon’s “Transparent” and Jesse Eisenberg (“The Social Network,” “American Ultra”).” (NYT)

Elsewhere, but this is important and worth the detour:
Mets Game @ Citi-Field 1PM
searchSure, it’s a raw, cold and drizzly day, not the best for baseball. But these are our conquering heroes – Eastern Division champions, first time in 10 years. Let’s get out there and welcome them back home. Show them some love after they came back from a near death experience at mid season to win the pennant going away.
Let’s Go Mets!

Bonus – Jazz Picks:
Many consider NYCity the Jazz capital of the world. Here are my favorite Jazz clubs, all on Manhattan’s WestSide. Check out who is playing tonight:
Greenwich Village:
Village Vanguard – 178 7th Ave. South — villagevanguard.com / 212-255-4037
Blue Note – 131 W3rd St. nr 6th ave. — bluenotejazz.com / 212-475-8592
55 Bar – 55 Christopher St. nr 7th ave.S. — 55bar.com / 212-929-9883
Outside Greenwich Village:
Dizzy’s Club – Broadway @ 60th St. — jazz.org/dizzys / 212-258-9595
Birdland – 315 W44th St.(btw 8/9ave) — birdlandjazz.com / 212-581-3080
Smoke Jazz Club – 2751 Broadway nr.106th St. — smokejazz.com / 212-864-6662
Special Mention:
Caffe Vivaldi – 32 Jones St. nr Bleecker St. — caffevivaldi.com / 212-691-7538
a classic, old jazz club in the Village, Caffe V often surprises with a wonderfully eclectic lineup. It’s my favorite spot for an evening of listening enjoyment and discovery.

==================================================================================
♦ Before making final plans, we suggest you call the venue to confirm ticket availability, dates and times, as schedules are subject to change.
♦ NYCity, with a population of  8.5 million, had a record 56 million visitors last year and is TripAdvisor’s Traveler’s Choice Top U.S. Destination for 2015.  Quality shows draw crowds. Try to reserve seats in advance, even if just on day of performance.
==================================================================================

A PremierPub / Upper West Side

Dinosaur Bar-B-Que / 700 W125th St. @ 12th ave.

Walk only five minutes from the 125th St. station on the #1 line to find this authentic honky-tonk barbecue joint. Some folks think Dinosaur is just a place to eat ribs. Au contraire. With 24 carefully selected taps, this is a place to drink beer, and eat ribs.

HarlHostStandNo food goes better with American craft ales than American barbecue. Dinosaur may be the best combo of good beer drinking and hearty eating in town, which makes the trip uptown to West Harlem totally worthwhile.

This second incarnation of Dinosaur in Harlem is in a two story, old brick warehouse near the Hudson River. Don’t let that run down exterior fool you. Inside it’s a large space with huge, rough wooden columns and unfinished wooden floors and brick walls – just right for a bbq joint. As soon as you open the front door you are hit with that tantalizing aroma of barbecue coming from the large open kitchen. Reminds me of those great rib joints I frequented when stationed in North Carolina all those years ago. If your stomach wasn’t grumbling before, it is now.

Head to the bar, sit down and try to decide on a beer. It’s not an easy decision – a good problem to have. This is a pretty damn good beer list to choose from, one that most beer bars should be jealous of. I love that they feature NY craft beers. You may want to try the four beer sampler, which is always fun, and in this place may be necessary.

The blues music playing in the background will get you in the mood for their North Carolina style barbecue, and even when it’s a full house your order shouldn’t take too long (assuming you snagged a table). The food is all slow smoked, so it’s already mostly done and ready to go. I always start with an order of their giant, spice rubbed wings, so good they may make you give up Buffalo wings.

Unfortunately, a place this good does not fly under the radar. There can be some long waits for a table at dinnertime. So you need a strategy – avoid prime time, and try not to arrive with your entire posse, which will limit your seating options.

A seat at the bar, a small table in the bar area, or in the summer, an outside table underneath what’s left of the elevated West Side Highway, all may open before a table inside the main dining room. Otherwise, try Dinosaur for lunch, or come very late for dinner, maybe after a show at the nearby Cotton Club nightclub.

Website: http://www.dinosaurbarbque.com/
Phone #: 212-694-1777
Hours: Mo-Th 11:30am-11:00pm; Fr-Sa 11:30am-12:00am;
Su 12:00pm-10:00pm
Happy Hour: 4-7pm every day; $1 off all drinks
Music: Fri / Sat 10:30pm
Subway: #1 to 125th St.
Walk 2 blk W on 125th St. to Dinosaur Bar-B-Q,
just past the elevated highway.

==================================================================================
“Pub” is used in it’s broadest sense – bars, bar/restaurants, jazz clubs, wine bars, tapas bars, craft beer bars, dive bars, cocktail lounges, and of course, pubs – just about anyplace you can get a drink without a cover charge (except for certain jazz clubs).
If you have a fave premier pub or good eating place on Manhattan’s WestSide let us all know about it – leave a comment.

 

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Selected Events (10/02) + GallerySpecialExhibits: Chelsea

Posted on 10/02/2015 by GregD

Today’s SUPER 7 > FRIDAY / OCT. 02, 2015

“We search the internet everyday looking for the very best of What’s Happening, primarily on Manhattan’s WestSide, so that you don’t have to.” We make it as easy as 1-2-3.
(click on links for complete event info.)

Have time for only one event today? Do this:
Christian Scott aTunde Adjuah (also Saturday)
Harlem Stage Gatehouse, 150 Convent Ave, at 135th St./ 7:30PM, $40
I just love this repurposed space (formerly a Croton Aqueduct Gatehouse) to listen to live music, and I was born only 5 blocks N on Convent Ave.

“Stretch Music” is the new album by this firebrand trumpeter from New Orleans, who now resides in Harlem. It’s also a set of aesthetic principles — at heart, involving the elasticity of genres, including the one most of us know as jazz — and a rallying cry for Mr. Adjuah’s fierce young band, which includes Elena Pinderhughes on flute and vocals, Warren Wolf on vibraphone and Braxton Cook on saxophones.” (Chinen-NYT)

Music, Dance, Performing Arts
Tedeschi Trucks Band (also Saturday)
Beacon Theater, 2124 Broadway, at 74th St./ 8PM, $
“This storied blues-rock band, led by the married musicians Susan Tedeschi and Derek Trucks, makes its annual pilgrimage to the Beacon Theater, with the handpicked special guest Scrapomatic on Friday.” (Chow-NYT)

Celebrating George Wein at 90
Dizzy’s Club, 60th St and Broadway/ 7:30 +9:30PM, $
“Mr. Wein, founder of the Newport Jazz Festival and its various counterparts, will be turning 90. Jazz at Lincoln Center helps him celebrate the occasion with this one-nighter, featuring some of his longtime associates: the trumpeter Randy Brecker, the guitarist Howard Alden, the pianist Frank Kimbrough, the bassist Jay Leonhart and the drummer Lewis Nash.” (Chinen-NYT)

> Batsheva Ensemble (through Sunday)
Joyce Theater, 175 Eighth Ave, at 19th St./ 8PM (Friday), $10 +
“The work of the Israeli choreographer Ohad Naharin, one of today’s great dance makers, is eerie and unsettling and often achingly beautiful. But he doesn’t get enough credit for being funny, too. In “Decadance,” performed by the junior wing of his Batsheva Dance Company (don’t lower expectations: they’re spectacular), Mr. Naharin stitches a quilt of excerpts from two decades of work. It captures his light and dark sides, as well as his humor.” (Schaefer, NYT)

Ravi Coltrane Quartet (through Sunday)
Village Vanguard, 178 Seventh Ave./ 8:30 +10:30PM, $30
“With a sense of searching suggestive of his father, Ravi Coltrane has maintained the legacy of jazz guided by serious and even avowedly spiritual ambitions. His saxophone-playing can be visceral and fiery at times, with equal capacity to fall back and luxuriate in gentle tones. His band, too, shares an affinity for music that ranges from the cerebral to the absorbing and back again.” (WSJ)

Smart Stuff / Other

> The New Yorker Festival (through Sunday)
At various times and locations
Few festivals try to capture the zeitgeist as comprehensively as this three-day series of talks, screenings and events; even fewer succeed this much. While a few of the festival’s programs have sold out, at time of press, there was still space at some noteworthy events, including conversations with Jeffrey Tambor, star of Amazon’s “Transparent” and Jesse Eisenberg (“The Social Network,” “American Ultra”). (NYT)

Elsewhere,

> Laurie Anderson’s ‘Habeas Corpus’ (through Sunday)
Park Avenue Armory, 643 Park Ave, at 67th St. / 8PM,
“A fixture of counterculture since the 1970s, Laurie Anderson arrives at the Park Avenue Armory with a protest piece based on the story of a Guantánamo Bay detainee. The joint audiovisual project, called “Habeas Corpus,” concludes each evening with a world dance music concert featuring Omar Souleyman, Merrill Garbus of Tune-Yards and Ms. Anderson.” (Chow, NYT)

Bonus – Music Picks:
So much fine live music every night in this town. These are a few of my favorite music venues on Manhattan’s WestSide. Check out who’s playing tonight:
City Winery – 155 Varick St., citywinery.com, 212-608-0555
Joe’s Pub @ Public Theater – 425 Lafayette St. joespub.com, 212-967-7555
Metropolitan Room – 34W22ndSt., metropolitan room.com, 212-206-0440
Le Poisson Rouge – 158 Bleecker St. lepoissonrouge.com, 212-505-3474
Beacon Theatre – 2124 Broadway @ 74th St., beacontheatre.com, 212-465-6500
B.B. King’s Blues Bar – 237W42nd dSt. bbkingblues.com, 212-997-2144
Special Mention:
Caffe Vivaldi – 32 Jones St. nr Bleecker St. caffevivaldi.com, 212-691-7538
a classic, old jazz club in the Village, Caffe V often surprises with a wonderfully eclectic lineup. It’s my favorite spot for an evening of listening enjoyment and discovery.

==================================================================================
♦ Before making final plans, we suggest you call the venue to confirm ticket availability, dates and times, as schedules are subject to change.
♦ NYCity, with a population of  8.5 million, had a record 56 million visitors last year and is TripAdvisor’s Traveler’s Choice Top U.S. Destination for 2015.  Quality shows draw crowds. Try to reserve seats in advance, even if just on day of performance.
==================================================================================

Chelsea Art Gallery District*

Chelsea is the heart of the NYCity contemporary art scene. Home to more than 300 art galleries, the Rubin Museum, the Joyce Theater and The Kitchen performance spaces, there is no place like it anywhere in the world. Come here to browse free exhibitions by world-renowned artists and those unknowns waiting to be discovered in an art district that is concentrated between West 18th and West 27th Streets, and 10th and 11th Avenues. Afterwards stop in the Chelsea Market, stroll on the High Line, or rest up at one of the many cafes and bars and discuss the fine art.

This is a current exhibitions that the NYT recommends:
‘Dia 15 VI 13 545 West 22 Street Dream House’ (through Oct. 24)
“This terrific show restages a famous sound and light installation by La Monte Young and Marian Zazeela, a work whose origins date to the 1960s. On entering the dimly lit gallery, you are immediately enveloped by an intensely powerful sound, a roaring, droning, pulsing noise with such a deep bass that you feel it in your body as well as in your ears. At the far end of the space is a work by Jung Hee Choi, a slowly changing hallucinogenic projection on a perforated black screen. Prepare to have your consciousness altered.” Dia: Chelsea, 545 West 22nd Street, Chelsea, 212-989-5566, diacenter.org. (Johnson-NYT)

For a listing of 25 essential galleries in the Chelsea Art Gallery District, organized by street, which enables you to create your own Chelsea Art Gallery crawl, see the Chelsea Gallery Guide (nycgo.com) Or check out TONY magazine’s list of the “Best Chelsea Galleries” and click through to see what’s on view.

*Now plan your own gallery crawl, but plan your visits for Tuesday through Saturday; most galleries are closed Sunday and Monday.

TIP: After your gallery tour, stop in Ovest at 513W27th St. for Aperitivo Italiano (Happy Hour on steroids). Discuss all the great art you have viewed over a drink and a very tasty selection of FREE appetizers (M-F, 5-8pm).

=======================================================
For other selected Museum and Gallery Special Exhibitions see Recent Posts in right Sidebar dated 09/30 and 09/28.

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

Selected Events (10/01) + Today’s Featured Pub (WestVillage)

Posted on 10/01/2015 by GregD

Today’s SUPER 7 > THURSDAY / OCT. 01, 2015

“We search the internet everyday looking for the very best of What’s Happening, primarily on Manhattan’s WestSide, so that you don’t have to.” We make it as easy as 1-2-3.
(click on links for complete event info.)

Have time for only one event today? Do this:
> Gregory Generet
Dizzy’s Club, Broadway and 60th St. / 7:30 +9:30PM, $40
Hold onto your woman because this guy will steal her heart. Trust me on this one.
“A voice that’s so sultry you might get burned.” – The New York Times

“Vocalist Gregory Generet is relatively new to the scene, but you’d never guess it after hearing the confident elegance in his voice. His repertoire focuses on well-known classics, but the result is far from routine; on Generet’s debut album, he performs swinging jazz standards like “How High The Moon” and “Stolen Moments,” rides the Brazilian grooves of “Rio de Janeiro Blues,” delivers a standout interpretation of Ellington’s “Caravan,” and even includes an urgent and passionate version of Van Morrison’s “Moondance,” in which his emotions soar over the peaks and valleys of the band’s dynamic arrangement.”

Music, Dance, Performing Arts
> Ravi Coltrane Quartet (through Sunday)
Village Vanguard, 178 Seventh Ave./ 8:30 +10:30PM, $30
“With a sense of searching suggestive of his father, Ravi Coltrane has maintained the legacy of jazz guided by serious and even avowedly spiritual ambitions. His saxophone-playing can be visceral and fiery at times, with equal capacity to fall back and luxuriate in gentle tones. His band, too, shares an affinity for music that ranges from the cerebral to the absorbing and back again.” (WSJ)

> Celebrating the Music of Bill Withers
Carnegie Hall (Stern Auditorium), 7th Ave. at 57th St / 8PM, $
“A tribute to one of the greatest soul singers of the seventies. Raised in Beckley, West Virginia, Withers spent nearly a decade in the Navy before moving to Los Angeles to pursue his music career. At thirty-one, while working as a toilet-seat fabricator for 747s, he recorded his first hit, “Ain’t No Sunshine.” Since then, he’s gone on to influence countless musicians, many of whom will be on hand at Carnegie Hall, to celebrate the seventy-seven-year-old top-liner. Guests include D’Angelo, Dr. John, Ed Sheeran, and Withers himself, although the extent of his involvement has not yet been revealed.” (NewYorker)

> Trio 3
Blue Note, 131 W3rd St./ 8PM +10:30PM, $20-$35
“Although a guest pianist has often been woven into the fabric of this exploratory ensemble, here the saxophonist Oliver Lake, the bassist Reggie Workman, and the drummer Andrew Cyrille, illustrious veterans all, go it alone. The air of authenticity that pervades the group’s fervent improvisations is unmistakable—each man was there, decades ago, when post-bop morphed into free jazz, helping to make the new music happen.” (NewYorker)

Elsewhere, but this sure looks like fun:
> The 11th annual NY Gypsy Festival (thru October 4)
DROM, 85 Avenue A (btw 5th/6th St) / 9:30PM, $15-$20
tonight: Zedashe (from Georgia)
“The Zedashe ensemble is based in the medieval fortress city of Sighnaghi, Eastern Georgia. Directed by Ketevan Mindorashvili, the current incarnation of the ensemble was founded in the mid 1990s to sing repertoire consisting of ancient three-part harmony chants from the Orthodox Christian liturgy, folk songs from the Kiziqian region as collected from village song-masters and old publications, and folk dances from the region.”

Smart Stuff / Other
(Lectures, Discussions, Book Talks, Literary Readings, Classes, Food & Drink, Other)
> Mourning Lincoln in New York City
The Graduate Center, 365 Fifth Ave./ 6:30-8:00PM, FREE
“New Yorkers grieved and rejoiced when they heard of Lincoln’s assassination. Such public responses have been well chronicled, but prize-winning historian Martha Hodes is the first to delve into responses across the country, investigating this transformative event on a human scale.”

> An Unlikely Union: The Love-Hate Story of New York’s Irish and Italians,
by Paul Moses, Brooklyn College, CUNY
John D. Calandra Italian American Institute, 25 W43rd St. (17th floor)/ 6-7:30PM, FREE
“Starting in the nineteenth century, Irish Americans and Italian Americans found themselves at odds: in the Catholic Church, on the waterfront, at construction sites, and in the streets. But after World War II the two communities made peace, via intermarriage on a large scale. In his book An Unlikely Union: The Love-Hate Story of New York’s Irish and Italians (New York University Press, 2015), veteran New York City journalist Paul Moses unfolds this story of how two of America’s largest ethnic groups learned to live with each other in the wake of decades of animosity.”

Bonus – Jazz Venues:
Many consider NYCity the Jazz capital of the world. Here are my favorite Jazz clubs, all on Manhattan’s WestSide. Check out who’s playing tonight:
Greenwich Village:
Village Vanguard – 178 7th Ave. South — villagevanguard.com / 212-255-4037
Blue Note – 131 W3rd St. nr 6th ave. — bluenotejazz.com / 212-475-8592
55 Bar – 55 Christopher St. nr 7th ave.S. — 55bar.com / 212-929-9883
Outside Greenwich Village:
Dizzy’s Club – Broadway @ 60th St. — jazz.org/dizzys / 212-258-9595
Birdland – 315 W44th St.(btw 8/9ave) — birdlandjazz.com / 212-581-3080
Smoke Jazz Club – 2751 Broadway nr.106th St. — smokejazz.com / 212-864-6662
Special Mention:
Caffe Vivaldi – 32 Jones St. nr Bleecker St. — caffevivaldi.com / 212-691-7538
a classic, old jazz club in the Village, Caffe V often surprises with a wonderfully eclectic lineup. It’s my favorite spot for an evening of listening enjoyment and discovery.

==================================================================================
♦ Before making final plans, we suggest you call the venue to confirm ticket availability, dates and times, as schedules are subject to change.
♦ NYCity, with a population of  8.5 million, had a record 56 million visitors last year and is TripAdvisor’s Traveler’s Choice Top U.S. Destination for 2015.  Quality shows draw crowds. Try to reserve seats in advance, even if just on day of performance.
==================================================================================

A PremierPub / West Village

Corner Bistro / 331 W. 4th St.

Sometimes you just need a beer and a burger. If so, Corner Bistro is the place you want. Located just outside the hip Meatpacking district, this corner bar and grill is decidedly unhip, but it’s not uncrowded, especially at night. Seems that everyone knows this place has one of the better burgers in town.

kac_120405_phude_corner_bistro_bar_1000-600x450In the maze of streets known as the West Village, where West 4th intersects with West 12th (and West 11th, and West 10th, go figure), you will eventually find Corner Bistro on the corner of West 4th and Jane Street. An unassuming neighborhood tavern, it looks just like dozens of other taverns around town.

The bartender tells me that the Corner Bistro celebrated it’s 50th anniversary last year. The well worn interior tells me that the place itself is much older.

Corner Bistro has outlasted many of those other taverns around town because they know how to keep it simple — just good burgers and beer, fairly priced. The classic bistro Burger is only $6.75, and should be ordered medium rare, which will be plenty rare for most folks. Actually, it will be a juicy, messy delight – make sure you have extra napkins. I like to pull up a stool and sit by the large front window in the afternoon, where I can rest my burger and beer on the shelf, and watch the Villagers walk by.

Corner Bistro seems to attract very different groups of patrons depending on time of day. While it’s crowded with locals in the evening, in the afternoon you hear different foreign languages, and watch groups of euro tourists wander in, led by their guidebooks and smartphones.

For the classic Bistro experience, order your burger with a McSorley’s draft, the dark preferably. This is the same beer that you can get over at the original McSorley’s in the East Village, the pub that claims to be the oldest continually operating bar in NYCity. The only difference is that this McSorley’s ale is served with a smile by the bartenders here. Or you can get a Sierra Nevada, Stella, or Hoegaarden on tap if you want to go upscale a bit. Either way this is a simple, but quality burger and beer experience that is just too rare these days (sorry for the pun).
=========================================================
Website: cornerbistrony.com
Phone #: 212-242-9502
Hours: 11:30am-4am Mon-Sat; 12pm-4am Sun
Happy Hour: NO
Music: Juke Box
Subway: #1/2/3 to 14th St. (S end of platform)
Walk 2 blk W. on 13th St. to 8th Ave.; 1 blk S. on 8th Ave. to Jane St.
Update:

==================================================================================
“Pub” is used in it’s broadest sense – bars, bar/restaurants, jazz clubs, wine bars, tapas bars, craft beer bars, dive bars, cocktail lounges, and of course, pubs – just about anyplace you can get a drink without a cover charge (except for certain jazz clubs).
If you have a fave premier pub or good eating place on Manhattan’s WestSide let us all know about it – leave a comment.

 

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Selected Events (09/30) + Museum Special Exhibitions: Manhattan’s 5th Avenue

Posted on 09/30/2015 by GregD

Today’s SUPER 6 > WEDNESDAY / SEPT. 30, 2015

“We search the internet everyday looking for the very best of What’s Happening, primarily on Manhattan’s WestSide, so that you don’t have to.” We make it as easy as 1-2-3.
(click on links for complete event info.)

Music, Dance, Performing Arts
> Posi-Tone Records 20th Anniversary Celebration 
Smalls Jazz Club, 183 W10th St./7:30 +10:30PM, $20
“Posi-Tone, a New York label focused on the postbop mainstream, celebrates a special occasion with sets by a couple of bands on its roster: the Tom Tallitsch Quintet, led by Mr. Tallitsch on tenor saxophone, from 7:30 to 10 p.m.; and the Brian Charette Quintet, led from the organ by Mr. Charette, beginning at 10:30 p.m. Among the guests are some of the label’s other artists, like the guitarist Ed Cherry and the trombonists Michael Dease and Steve Davis.” (Chinen-NYT)

Trio 3 (thru Thursday)
Blue Note, 131 W3rd St./ 8PM +10:30PM, $20-$35
“Although a guest pianist has often been woven into the fabric of this exploratory ensemble, here the saxophonist Oliver Lake, the bassist Reggie Workman, and the drummer Andrew Cyrille, illustrious veterans all, go it alone. The air of authenticity that pervades the group’s fervent improvisations is unmistakable—each man was there, decades ago, when post-bop morphed into free jazz, helping to make the new music happen.” (NewYorker)

> The Coca-Cola Generations In Jazz Festival (LAST DAY)
Dizzy’s Club, 60th St and Broadway, / 9:30PM; $35
“This month long series at Dizzy’s Club Coca-Cola has explored a loose multi-generational theme. Tonight Joe Saylor, who regularly plays with many of the most gifted and promising young jazz musicians, brings eight of those musicians back for a second performance of his smash hit Crescent City Samba. This unique musical experience celebrates the intersections of New Orleans music and the music of Brazil, blending Samba, Choro, and other Brazilian rhythms with the music that America birthed in the early 20th century. This upbeat music and vibrant group of musicians never fails to get audiences grooving with them” (Chinen-NYT)

Elsewhere, but this sure looks like fun:
> The 11th annual NY Gypsy Festival (thru October 4)
Metropolitan Museum / 7PM, $65 (includes Museum admission)
tonight: Memoria Antigua: Flamenco
“Fiery and primal, flamenco conjures the most passionate of emotions. Straight from the heart of the dance form’s birthplace, award-winning dancer/choreographers Patricia Ibáñez and Abel Harana perform Memoria Antigua (“Ancient Memory”). Exploring the vivid and seductive music and dance from Andalusia and the far-reaching corners of Spain through authentic and rarely performed flamenco styles, Memoria Antigua is steeped in mystery and rich in cultural relevance.”

Smart Stuff / Other
(Lectures, Discussions, Book Talks, Literary Readings, Classes, Food & Drink, Other)
> Being Nixon: A Man Divided
New-York Historical Society, 170 Central Park West / 6:30PM, $38
“Both maudlin and Machiavellian, Richard Nixon transcended his origins as a shy outcast in Washington society to become a leader capable of great bravery and extraordinary deviousness. Award-winning author Evan Thomas peels back the layers on the nation’s 37th president, delivering a fascinating portrait of one of American history’s most infamous, paradoxical and enigmatic politicians.”

> Erica Jong – “Fear of Dying,”
NYPL, Main Building, 42nd St & 5th Ave / 12PM, FREE
“Ms. Jong — the poet, novelist and essayist perhaps best known for her novel “Fear of Flying” — has returned with a spiritual follow-up, “Fear of Dying.” She’ll discuss the books as part of the New York Public Library’s Books at Noon series, which include a Q. and A. with Ms. Jong and a book signing.” (NYT)

Bonus – Music Venues:
So much fine live music every night in this town. These are a few of my favorite music venues on Manhattan’s WestSide. Check out who’s playing tonight:
City Winery – 155 Varick St. / citywinery.com, 212-608-0555
Joe’s Pub @ Public Theater – 425 Lafayette St. / joespub.com, 212-967-7555
Metropolitan Room – 34 W22nd St. / metropolitan room.com, 212-206-0440
Le Poisson Rouge – 158 Bleecker St. / lepoissonrouge.com, 212-505-3474
Beacon Theatre – 2124 Broadway @ 74th St. / beacontheatre.com, 212-465-6500
B.B. King’s Blues Bar – 237 W42nd St. / bbkingblues.com, 212-997-2144
Special Mention:
Caffe Vivaldi – 32 Jones St. nr Bleecker St. / caffevivaldi.com, 212-691-7538
a classic, old jazz club in the Village, Caffe V often surprises with a wonderfully eclectic lineup. It’s my favorite spot for an evening of listening enjoyment and discovery.

==================================================================================
♦ Before making final plans, we suggest you call the venue to confirm ticket availability, dates and times, as schedules are subject to change.
♦ NYCity, with a population of  8.5 million, had a record 56 million visitors last year and is TripAdvisor’s Traveler’s Choice Top U.S. Destination for 2015.  Quality shows draw crowds. Try to reserve seats in advance, even if just on day of performance.
==================================================================================

WHAT’S ON VIEW
My Fave Special Exhibitions – MUSEUMS / Manhattan’s Fifth Avenue
(See the New York Times Arts Section for listings of all museum exhibitions,
and also see the expanded reviews of these exhibitions)

Metropolitan Museum of Art:
‘Reimagining Modernism: 1900-1950’ (continuing)
One of the greatest encyclopedic museums in the world fulfills its mission a little more with an ambitious reinstallation of works of early European modernism with their American counterparts for the first time in nearly 30 years. Objects of design and paintings by a few self-taught artists further the integration. It is quite a sight, with interesting rotations and fine-tunings to come. 212-535-7710, metmuseum.org.” (Smith)

Guggenheim Museum:
Kandinsky Gallery (through spring 2016)
“A pioneer of abstract art and eminent aesthetic theorist, Vasily Kandinsky (b. 1866, Moscow; d. 1944, Neuilly-sur-Seine, France) broke new ground in painting during the first decades of the twentieth century. His seminal treatise Über das Geistige in der Kunst (On the Spiritual in Art), published in Munich in December 1911, lays out his program for developing an art independent from observations of the external world. In this and other texts, as well as his work, Kandinsky advanced abstraction’s potential to be free from nature, a quality of music that he admired. The development of a new subject matter based solely on the artist’s “inner necessity” would occupy him for the rest of his life.”

The Guggenheim collection now contains more than 150 works by this single artist, making it the largest collection of Kandinsky works in the United States.

Cooper Hewitt Smithsonian Design Museum (continuing):
rendering-3The stately doors of the 1902 Andrew Carnegie mansion, home to the Cooper Hewitt, are open again after an overhaul and expansion of the premises. Historic house and modern museum have always made an awkward fit, a standoff between preservation and innovation, and the problem remains, but the renovation has brought a wide-open new gallery space, a cafe and a raft of be-your-own-designer digital enhancements. Best of all, more of the museum’s vast permanent collection is now on view, including an Op Art weaving, miniature spiral staircases, ballistic face masks and a dainty enameled 18th-century version of a Swiss knife. Like design itself, this institution is built on tumult and friction, and you feel it. 2 East 91st Street, at Fifth Avenue, 212-849-8400, cooperhewitt.org. (Cotter)

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Museum Mile is a section of Fifth Avenue which contains one of the densest displays of culture in the world. Eight museums can be found along this section of Fifth Avenue:

• 105th Street – El Museo del Barrio (closed Sun-Mon)*
• 103rd Street – Museum of the City of New York (open 7 days /week)
•  92nd Street – The Jewish Museum (closed Wed) (Sat FREE) (Thu 5-8 PWYW)
•  91st Street  –  Cooper-Hewitt, National Design Museum (open 7 days /week)
•  89th Street –  National Academy Museum (closed Mon-Tue)
•  88th Street –  Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum (closed Thu) (Sat 6-8 PWYW)
•  86th Street –  Neue Galerie New York (closed Tue-Wed) (Fri 6-8 FREE)
Last, but certainly not least, America’s premier museum
•  82nd Street – The Metropolitan Museum of Art (open 7 days /week)*
*always Pay What You Wish (PWYW)

Although technically not part of the Museum Mile, the Frick Collection (closed Mon) (SUN 11am-1pm PWYW) on the corner of 70th St. and Fifth Avenue and the The Morgan Library & Museum (closed Mon) (Fri 7-9 FREE) on Madison Ave and 37th St are also located near Fifth Ave.
Now plan your own museum crawl (info on hours & admission updated June 2, 2015). ========================================================

For other selected Museum and Gallery Special Exhibitions see Recent Posts in right Sidebar dated 09/28 and 09/26.
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Selected Events (09/29) + Today’s Featured Pub (Greenwich Village)

Posted on 09/29/2015 by GregD

Today’s SUPER 6 > TUESDAY / SEPT. 29, 2015

“We search the internet everyday looking for the very best of What’s Happening, primarily on Manhattan’s WestSide, so that you don’t have to.” We make it as easy as 1-2-3.
(click on links for complete event info.)

Music, Dance, Performing Arts
Trio 3 (through Thursday)
Blue Note, 131 W3rd St./ 8PM +10:30PM, $20-$35
“Although a guest pianist has often been woven into the fabric of this exploratory ensemble, here the saxophonist Oliver Lake, the bassist Reggie Workman, and the drummer Andrew Cyrille, illustrious veterans all, go it alone. The air of authenticity that pervades the group’s fervent improvisations is unmistakable—each man was there, decades ago, when post-bop morphed into free jazz, helping to make the new music happen.” (NewYorker)

> Festival of New Trumpet Music (SPECIAL LAST NIGHT CONCERT)
the New School, 55 W13th St./ 8PM, $20
“Now in its twelfth year, this festival keeps its focus tight, but daring instrumentalists and composers often enliven the event.”
tonight: concert honoring the veteran trumpeter-bandleader Eddie Henderson, featuring his band and some homage-paying guests. (NewYorker)

> The Coca-Cola Generations In Jazz Festival (through Sept. 30)
Dizzy’s Club, 60th St and Broadway, / At 7:30PM +9:30PM; $35
“This monthlong series at Dizzy’s Club Coca-Cola explores a loose multigenerational theme. Highlights of the coming week include tonight’s big band led by the trumpeter Josh Evans, with the tenor saxophonist Billy Harper as a featured guest.” (Chinen-NYT)

Elsewhere, but this sure looks like fun:
> The 11th annual NY Gypsy Festival (thru October 4)
DROM, 85 Avenue A (btw 5th/6th St) / 9:30PM, $15-$20
tonight: GYPSY IN CLASSICAL MUSIC by the New Yorker Ensemble
“this program has the most beautiful and exciting classical music by great composers from Schubert to Hubay. Pieces are inspired by gypsy music from Turkey, Hungary, Russia, Spain, France and more. New Yorker Ensemble is a New York based performance group founded by Emir Gamsızoğlu (Pianist/Composer) and Ege Maltepe (Theater Artist).”
HotTip: Don’t miss Emir on the piano – a special treat.

Smart Stuff / Other
(Lectures, Discussions, Book Talks, Literary Readings, Classes, Food & Drink, Other)
> Erica Jong – “Fear of Dying,”
CUNY Graduate Center / 6:30PM, FREE with R.S.V.P.
“When her first novel, Fear of Flying, was published in 1973, Erica Jong transformed the American literary landscape by bringing her unique blend of sexual candor, wit, and insight to bear upon women’s experiences. Join us as Parul Sehgal, an editor at the New York Times Book Review and an award-winning critic, interviews Jong about her forthcoming novel, Fear of Dying, and her career as a novelist, nonfiction writer, and poet.” (NYT)

> The Dakota: A History of the World’s Best-Known Apartment Building
The Skyscraper Museum, 39 Battery Pl./ 6:30PM, FREE
“Usher in the dawn of luxury apartment living in NYC at this lecture at The Skyscraper Museum tracing the creation of The Dakota, which in the 1880s rose on the then-wild reaches of the Upper West Side (hence the name).” (ThoughtGallery.org)

Today’s Bonus: 6 Places to get FREE coffee on National Coffee Day (TONY)

Jazz Venues:
Many consider NYCity the Jazz capital of the world. Here are my favorite Jazz clubs, all on Manhattan’s WestSide. Check out who’s playing tonight:
Greenwich Village:
Village Vanguard – 178 7th ave. South, — villagevanguard.com / 212-255-4037
Blue Note – 131 W3rd St. nr 6th ave. — bluenotejazz.com / 212-475-8592
55 Bar – 55 Christopher St. nr 7th ave. South — 55bar.com / 212-929-9883
Outside Greenwich Village:
Dizzy’s Club – Broadway @ 60th St. — jazz.org/dizzys / 212-258-9595
Birdland – 315 W44th St.(btw 8/9 ave) — birdlandjazz.com / 212-581-3080
Smoke Jazz Club – 2751 Broadway, nr.106th St. — smokejazz.com / 212-864-6662

==================================================================================
♦ Before making final plans, we suggest you call the venue to confirm ticket availability, dates and times, as schedules are subject to change.
♦ NYCity, with a population of  8.5 million, had a record 56 million visitors last year and is TripAdvisor’s Traveler’s Choice Top U.S. Destination for 2015.  Quality shows draw crowds. Try to reserve seats in advance, even if just on day of performance.
==================================================================================

A PremierPub and 3 Good Eating Places – Greenwich Village

Caffe Vivaldi / 32 Jones Street (btw. Bleecker St./W4th St.)

Café Vivaldi is a classic, intimate club located in Greenwich Village on Jones Street, the street featured on the cover of Bob Dylan’s second album, “Freewheelin’. ”

maxresdefaultEach night Ishrat, the long time proprietor and impresario, carefully curates and schedules an eclectic series of musicians. You can often see him at his table in the corner, hard at work reviewing music videos and listening to cd demos on his laptop, scouting out future bookings. Musicians come from all over to play and sing in a club in Greenwich Village. Some are local New Yorkers, others are just passing through, in town for a few days.

There is a small bar, seating maybe 10. It’s close to the stage and I find it’s a perfect spot to sip a glass of red wine while listening to the music. The room itself has the performance area at one end and a cozy fireplace at the other. The performance area here is small, dominated by a large black Yamaha Grand piano. Tables are bunched together and most people at the tables are eating lite meals or sampling the wonderful desserts.

There is also a good selection of fairly priced wines,  but you are here because of the music. You can never be quite sure what you’re going to find, and that’s half the charm of this place. It’s not a home run every night, but many nights it’s pretty special.

I remember the night I saw the most talented bossa nova group, just in from San Paulo. As I listened, I wondered if there was any better music playing anywhere else in New York City that night. And at Caffé Vivaldi there is never a cover charge. Their recently redesigned web site does give you a better idea of the type of music playing each night.

At one time Greenwich Village was filled with clubs just like this, but times change. Real estate interests have impacted the village, and not for the better. Even Caffé Vivaldi had a rough time recently, when a new landlord raised the rent exorbitantly. Fortunately, Ishrat has built a loyal following over the years, and a fund raiser and slightly more reasonable rent has kept Café Vivaldi in business.

When Woody Allen and Al Pacino wanted to make movies featuring the timeless quality of Greenwich Village they came to Vivaldi. It’s important that we keep this special place alive, for if we lose Cafe Vivaldi, NYCity will have lost a piece of it’s soul.

Website: http://caffevivaldi.com/
Phone #: (212) 691-7538
Hours: Music generally 7:30PM – 11PM, but varies
Lunch/Dinner 11AM-on
Subway: #1 to Christopher St.
Walk 1 blk S. on 7th ave S. to Bleecker St., 1 blk left on Bleecker to Jones St., 50 yards left on Jones St. to Caffe V.

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“Pub” is used in it’s broadest sense – bars, bar/restaurants, jazz clubs, wine bars, tapas bars, craft beer bars, dive bars, cocktail lounges, and of course, pubs – just about anyplace you can get a drink without a cover charge
If you have a fave premier pub or good eating place on Manhattan’s WestSide let us all know about it – leave a comment.
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3 Good Eating places

It’s not difficult to find a place to eat in Manhattan.
Finding a good, inexpensive place to eat is a bit harder.
Here are a few of my faves in this neighborhood:

Fish – 280 Bleecker St. (just a bit S. of 7th ave South)
This was an easy pick – the best raw bar special in town. $9 gets you 6 of the freshest oysters or clams + a glass of wine or beer. Don’t know how they can do it, but I tell everyone I know about this place. And it’s located right in the heart of some of the best no cover music in town.

Bleecker Street Pizza – 69 7th ave S. (corner of Bleecker St.)
The place is tiny and not much to look at, but this is one good slice. They like to brag that they have been voted “Best pizza in NY” 3 years in a row by the Food Network. I believe them. I would have voted for them.

Num Pang – 21 E 12th St. (btw. University Place/5th ave.)
This is a Cambodian banh mi sandwich shop that kept me well fed while I was in class nearby recently. It’s cramped, even for NYCity, but usually there is room up the spiral staircase to sit down and eat. In good weather carry your sandwich a few blocks to Union Square park. You may have to wait a few minutes, because everything is freshly made, but it’s worth it. Can you believe – an unheard of 26 food rating by Zagat.

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“3 Good Eating places” focuses on a quick bite, what I call “Fine Fast Food – NYCity Style”
This covers a wide range of food – the traditional pizza, burgers, & hot dogs; but also food trucks & carts, soup & sandwiches, picnic fixins’, raw bars & lobster rolls, bbq, vegetarian, falafel, ramen, chopped salad & salad bars. No reservations needed. ===========================================================================

◊ For all my picks of 54 Good Eating places, and essays on my favorite 18 PremierPubs in 9 Neighborhoods on Manhattan’s WestSide, order a copy of my e-book:
“Eating and Drinking on NYCity’s WestSide” ($4.99, available Winter 2015).
◊ Order before Dec. 31, 2015 and receive a bonus – 27 of my favorite casual dining places with free Wi-Fi.

 

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Selected Events (09/28) + Museum Special Exhibitions: Manhattan’s WestSide

Posted on 09/28/2015 by GregD

Today’s SUPER 6 > MONDAY / SEPT. 28, 2015

“We search the internet everyday looking for the very best of What’s Happening, primarily on Manhattan’s WestSide, so that you don’t have to.” We make it as easy as 1-2-3.
(click on links for complete event info.)

Music, Dance, Performing Arts
> Festival of New Trumpet Music (thru Sept 29)
Various locations
“Now in its twelfth year, this festival keeps its focus tight, but daring instrumentalists and composers often enliven the event.
tonight: the second night of a series called “Visionaries,” featuring avant-garde upstarts like Jaimie Branch (NewYorker)
(Sunday/Monday from 7 to 10 p.m. at the Downtown Music Gallery, 13 Monroe St.)”

> The Coca-Cola Generations In Jazz Festival (through Sept. 30)
Dizzy’s Club, 60th St and Broadway, / At 7:30PM +9:30PM; $35
“This monthlong series at Dizzy’s Club Coca-Cola explores a loose multigenerational theme. Highlights of the coming week include tonight’s pianist Andy Milne with his group Dapp Theory, presenting a new hourlong suite, “The Seasons of Being” (Chinen-NYT)

Elsewhere, but this sure looks like fun:
> The 11th annual NY Gypsy Festival (thru October 4)
DROM, 85 Avenue A (btw 5th/6th St) / 8PM, $20
tonight: Karolina Cicha and Bart Palyga Present Music from the Polish Borderlands

“Karolina Cicha and Bart Palyga draw on the full range of traditional music, but rather than an archival compilation, they project a compact whole, speaking the language of contemporary music. This language is built on the innovative style of the two performers, their charisma, and their experience in musical expression from folk, ancient and rock music projects.”

Smart Stuff / Other
(Lectures, Discussions, Book Talks, Literary Readings, Classes, Food & Drink, Other)
Goddess of Love Incarnate: The Life of Stripteuse Lili St. Cyr.
Barnes & Noble, 2289 Broadway, 82nd & Broadway / 7PM, FREE
“Author Leslie Zemeckis restores Lili St. Cyr, the highest paid stripteaser in America, to her rightful place in history. Goddess of Love Incarnate reveals that behind the glamour stood a complicated woman, much loved and little understood.”

> Putinism Abroad: Challenges in Russian Foreign and Security Policy
1501 International Affairs Building / 6:15PM, FREE
School of International and Public Affairs, 420 West 118th Street
Please join the Arnold A. Saltzman Institute of War and Peace Studies and the Harriman Institute for Russian, Eurasian, and East European Studies for a panel discussion featuring Kimberly Marten, Rajan Menon, Jack Snyder, and Greg Whisler, moderated by Austin Long.

> Stay: A History of Suicide and the Philosophies Against It
NY Public Library – Mid-Manhattan Library, 455 Fifth Ave./ 6:30PM, FREE
With Jennifer Michael Hecht, a historian of science and culture and a poet.
“This illustrated lecture channels the author’s grief for two friends lost to suicide into a search for history’s most persuasive arguments against the irretrievable act.”

Let’s not forget. Today is National Drink a Beer Day, aka the Best Holiday Ever.

“Beer is proof that God loves us and wants us to be happy.” — Benjamin Franklin

“He was a wise man who invented beer.” — Plato

“Beer makes you feel the way you ought to feel without beer.” — Henry Lawson

Bonus – Music Picks:
So much fine live music every night in this town. These are a few of my favorite music venues on Manhattan’s WestSide. Check out who’s playing tonight:
City Winery – 155 Varick St., citywinery.com, 212-608-0555
Joe’s Pub @ Public Theater – 425 Lafayette St. joespub.com, 212-967-7555
Metropolitan Room – 34W22ndSt., metropolitan room.com, 212-206-0440
Le Poisson Rouge – 158 Bleecker St. lepoissonrouge.com, 212-505-3474
Beacon Theatre – 2124 Broadway @ 74th St., beacontheatre.com, 212-465-6500
B.B. King’s Blues Bar – 237W42nd dSt. bbkingblues.com, 212-997-2144
Special Mention:
Caffe Vivaldi – 32 Jones St. nr Bleecker St. caffevivaldi.com, 212-691-7538
a classic, old jazz club in the Village, Caffe V often surprises with a wonderfully eclectic lineup. It’s my favorite spot for an evening of listening enjoyment and discovery.

==================================================================================
♦ Before making final plans, we suggest you call the venue to confirm ticket availability, dates and times, as schedules are subject to change.
♦ NYCity, with a population of  8.5 million, had a record 56 million visitors last year and is TripAdvisor’s Traveler’s Choice Top U.S. Destination for 2015.  Quality shows draw crowds. Try to reserve seats in advance, even if just on day of performance.
==================================================================================

WHAT’S ON VIEW
My Fave Special Exhibitions – MUSEUMS / Manhattan’s WestSide
(See the New York Times Arts Section for listings of all museums,
and also to see their expanded reviews of these exhibitions)

Museum of Modern Art:
‘Picasso Sculpture’ (through Feb. 7)
“Nearly a work of art in its own right, this magnificent show redefines Picasso’s achievement with the first full view here in 50 years of his astoundingly varied forays into sculpture. His materials, not his female loves, become the muses, and are different each time out. The basic plotline: After introducing sculptural abstraction and space, he spent about 50 years counting the ways that the figure was far from finished. 212-708-9400, moma.org.” (Smith-NYT)

‘Transmissions: Art in Eastern Europe and Latin America, 1960-1980’ (through Jan. 3) “Visiting this big, spirited group show is like walking into a party of intriguing strangers. For every person you recognize, there are 10 you don’t know. One topic everyone’s talking about, at different intensities, is the anti-institutional politics that swept Europe and the Americas in the 1960s, and almost everyone speaks the language of Conceptualism. A product of an in-house research initiative called Contemporary and Modern Art Perspectives, or C-MAP, intended to expand MoMA’s narrow Paris-New York view of modernism, the show is very much the beginning rather than the end of a learning curve. But with curators exploring material new to them — just steps ahead of their audience — the show has a refreshing buzz of surprise as it takes the museum in a realistic new directions. 212-708-9400, moma.org.” (Cotter-NYT)

New-York Historical Society:
‘Freedom Journey 1965: Photographs of the Selma to Montgomery March by Stephen Somerstein’ (through Oct. 25)
“See photo highlight. Almost 50 years ago, the picture editor of a campus newspaper at City College of New York assigned himself a breaking story: covering what promised to be a massive march in Alabama, led by the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., to demand free and clear voting rights for African-Americans. On short notice the editor, Stephen Somerstein, grabbed his cameras, climbed on a bus and headed south. The 55 pictures of black leaders and everyday people in this show, installed in a hallway and small gallery, are some that he shot that day. The image of Dr. King’s head seen in monumental silhouette that has become a virtual logo of the film “Selma” is based on a Somerstein original. 170 Central Park West, at 77th Street, 212-873-3400, nyhistory.org.” (Cotter-NYT)

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For other selected Museum and Gallery Special Exhibitions see Recent Posts in right Sidebar dated 09/26 and 09/24.

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